For weeks Bill Morneau has been under an all out assault by the Cons and the Con media.For having made a couple of rookie political mistakes, the decent Morneau has been smeared as a crook by scumbags like Pierre Poilievre.Even though there is absolutely no evidence that he has done anything wrong.And even though he ...

Here, on how Jagmeet Singh looks to be a strong favourite as the NDP’s leadership campaign reaches its first voting window – and how concerns about Quebec secularism may have been laid to rest by the challenger who previously gained the most by emphasizing them. For further reading…– I’ve previously written about Singh’s prospects in ...

This and that for your Tuesday reading. – Ed Finn discusses how corporate giants exert far more influence than we generally know – or should be willing to accept. And Joseph Schwartz and Bhaskar Sunkara comment on the difficulty in achieving durable social-democratic policies while economic power is concentrated in the corporate elite. – Thomas ...

The latest from the federal NDP’s leadership campaign. – Althia Raj reports on the final membership numbers for the leadership campaign announced this week, showing a similar number of eligible voters to the 2012 campaign (at just over 120,000). And Eric Grenier chats with Aaron Wherry about the significance of the membership totals, while Kyle ...

The latest from the federal NDP’s leadership campaign. – Bruce Anderson and David Coletto take a look at public perceptions of Canada’s political parties. And the relatively small differences in public views of the NDP as compared to the Liberals may offer either a suggestion as to what grounds of distinction appear most open at ...

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading. – Danny Dorling writes about the connection between high inequality and disregard for the environment: In a 2016 report, Oxfam found that the greatest polluters of all were the most affluent 10% of US households: each emitted, on average, 50 tonnes of CO2 per household member per year. Canada’s ...

This and that for your Sunday reading. – Armine Yalnizyan writes that a $15 minimum wage is ultimately good for businesses as well as for people: When higher income households see wage gains, some of it goes to savings. Additional consumption also often flows to vacations and luxury goods, often imported. In other words a ...

Assorted content to end your week. – Hassan Yussuff and other labour leaders offer their take on how we can develop a more equitable global trade system: The next challenge before us is to build on and improve all post-CETA trade and investment deals to ensure they meet a progressive trade model. We suggest several ...

Here, on how the Libs’ carbon price rollout managed to maximize the resulting sound and fury while signifying little actual progress. For further reading…– Marc Lee offered a reality check on the minimal effect of Justin Trudeau’s price announcement, with reference to Marc Jaccard’s study here (PDF). And Karri Munn-Venn also pointed out how a ...

Miscellaneous material to start your week. – Larry Elliott writes that the public is rightly frustrated with an economic model designed to shift money to those who already have the most – and that progressive parties in particular need to offer a meaningful alternative: The belief on the left was that 2008 sounded the death ...

This and that for your Sunday reading. – Branko Milanovic discusses how our current means of measuring inequality may leave out the most important part of the story in the form of wealth deliberately hidden from public view: (T)here are at least two problems. First, the rich especially, but everybody else as well, have a ...

Assorted content to start your week. – Steve Hilton suggests that we should make attending Davos as much a marker of shame as being responsible for a sweatshop – though I’d argue we have a ways to go in holding people accountable even for the latter. David Sogge and Nick Buxton observe that even when ...

Assorted content to start your week. – Robert Reich writes that the most important source of growing inequality in the U.S. is a political system torqued to further enrich those who already had the most: The underlying problem, then, is not just globalization and technological changes that have made most American workers less competitive. Nor ...

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading. – Exchange highlights the World Economic Forum’s observation that countries can do far more to combat inequality. And Angus Reid finds that Canadian voters are far more receptive to Tom Mulcair’s progressive economic plan than to more of the same from either of the major competing leaders. – Meanwhile, ...

Assorted content to end your week. – Kate McInturff puts forward some big long-term goals which deserve to be discussed as we elect our next federal government. And Leah McLaren discusses how a lack of child care affects every Canadian: The single most shocking thing to me about becoming a mother was the lack of ...

Bob Hepburn makes clear that while the Libs may still be in denial about the importance of cooperating to remove the Harper Cons from power, their best friends in the media are under no such illusions. But the most noteworthy contribution to Canada’s discussion about post-election options comes from Aaron Wherry – particularly in highlighting ...

Assorted content to end your week. – Joseph Stiglitz notes that the recent stock market turmoil may be most important for its effect in highlighting far more important economic weaknesses. And Richard McCormack discusses the link between stock buybacks, inequality and economic stagnation – meaning that a plan to eliminate loopholes for stock options may ...

Miscellaneous material to start your week. – Paul Krugman theorizes that our recent pattern of economic instability can be traced to a glut of accumulated wealth chasing too few viable investments: On the surface, we seem to have had a remarkable run of bad luck. First there was the housing bust, and the banking crisis ...

This and that for your Thursday reading. – Alex Munter discusses the connection between public health and economic development, along with the need to take a far longer-term view of both. And PressProgress points out Matthew Stanbrook’s message (PDF) that the Cons are undermining Canada’s medical system through malign neglect. – Doreen Nichol comments on ...

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading. – Armine Yalnizyan writes that reliance on temporary and disposable labour is utterly incompatible with long-term economic development. And Joey Hartman and Adrienne Montani comment on Vancouver’s efforts to support a living wage rather than grinding down employment standards. – Andy Skuce points out that our already-worrisome best estimates ...

Assorted content to end your week. – Jim Stanford discusses the need to inoculate citizens against shock doctrine politics, as well as the contribution he’s hoping to make as the second edition of Economics for Everyone is released: I suppose it is fitting (if tragic) that this new edition is being released into an economic ...

This and that for your Thursday reading. – Sean McElwee examines new evidence of the deliberate choice of past U.S. governments dating back to Ronald Reagan to completely discount the policy preferences of anybody but the rich: In a new book, political scientists James Druckman and Lawrence Jacobs examine data on internal polling from U.S. ...

Assorted content to end your week. – Nicholas Kristof discusses how U.S. workers have suffered as a result of declining union strength. And Barry Critchley writes that Canada’s average expected retirement age has crept over 65 – with that change coming out of necessity rather than worker choice. – Alex Andreou rightly slams the concept ...

Aaron Wherry nicely summarizes the possible outcomes of the next federal election so the rest of us don’t have to. But let’s take a moment to consider what we can expect if we indeed have a hung Parliament, requiring parties to deal with each other to determine who will hold office. To start with, Michael ...

This and that for your Tuesday reading. – A Gandalf Group poll finds (PDF) that Canadians have come to perceive and expect a disturbing level of self-serving action by our political leaders. And while Dale Smith is right to note that we’ve largely limited the most obvious forms of corruption, there’s still plenty of reason ...